Progress: The Blue Boys of 2007!

Without the help of the 'Mystic Megs' of this world it is, I believe, impossible to predict the final placings in any Premier League table. This year is even harder than ever with tremendous parity amongst the sides pressing for European honours. Add to that some uncertainties at the four 'money clubs' and you have an awful lot of possibilities. Maybe the oldest cliche in the football coach's locker is that he will take one game at a time but that has to be the soundest policy for David Moyes right now.

Others might argue, but I believe Everton now has the best all-round squad in place since Howard Kendall's second championship season 20 years ago. Significantly, all but the veterans who are being considered on a year-to-year basis, are on long-term contracts lending a far greater possibility of security to the club than of late. David Moyes himself is contracted until June 2009 and, of the players who will likely make up the core of his squad until then, almost all are on four- or five-year contracts.

Since that Championship in 1987, our best league performance has been the fourth place finish in 2005 and it is quite interesting to look back at the team that we fielded in the Goodison game against Newcastle that clinched fourth spot. Of the 16 players named on field or bench that day, just over two years ago, 9 have now left the club and even more significantly they went because they were either injured in the case of Martyn and Ferguson or simply not regarded as good enough. The departed were: Watson, Weir, Kilbane, Bent, Beattie, Wright, Pistone and the two old warriors that I mentioned above.

Add to that the fact that just three of the starters that day are still core members of today's squad: Yobo, Arteta and Carsley, with the still unfit Cahill joining them later, and you can clearly see improvement. Hibbert, Stubbs and McFadden also took part in 2005 but all three are probably bench men at best, today.

Most Evertonians can probably recite Moyes's first eleven without pausing for breath. When was that last the case at Everton? Howard is a clear first-choice keeper with Neville, Lescott, Yobo and Baines as his back four. Johnson and Yakubu will obviously be first choices up front despite some near-ridiculous carping about the England striker from certain quarters of Evertonia. That leaves a midfield where a central mid pairing of the two complimenting baldies is surely in store when Tommy Boy has worked his way back to full power and perenial Moyes favourite Lee Carsley shakes off his thigh injury to resume duties as the team's 'water carrier'.

Arteta will be free to 'play the flanks' and if that is where most of us agree with selection , the remaining position could be the most interesting of all. Pienaar, Osman and maybe even a rejuvenated Van der Meyde (hopefully having had some long overdue good news about his ailing baby) will try to fill the spot that Cahill should slot into when he has fully recovered. That spot could often be split between any of the above in pairs with both playing 45 minutes.

No mention for Jagielka but there will be back-four injuries and that is where Phil can be of enormous value to the side along with the reserve back line of Hibbert, Stubbs and Valente until young Boyle has perhaps gone out on loan to 'toughen up ' after his severe back injury.

With the mighty Anichebe and perhaps the most spectacular finisher at the club today ? the inconsistent McFadden ? in support of the excellent first-choice striking pair, we are looking very promising up front and I haven't even mentioned the brilliant James Vaughan whom I was rash enough to tip pre-season as potentially our first man to score 20 goals in a league season in too many years. If the Yak does join Victor at the African Nations, James can keep our band-wagon rolling.

In saying we have our best squad in years, it is simply impossible at this stage to tip Everton for a title but there is every possibility that, given the shock that seems to have re-hashed the Moyes Coaching Manual after the Spurs debacle last season, we will see a better level of attack-minded football than the old ground has provided in two decades.

New Owners soon?... new ground? - who knows where that one will pan out but I do like what I see on the field right now. One further big splurge during the next transfer window could add the player who will eventually take over from the dogged Lee Carsley in centre mid.

One final note about the keepers - Wessels has been at a high level in German club football but nearly always as a back-up. That suggests he can do the same job at Everton if required but a mate of mine who has a season ticket at Sheffield Wednesday is adamant that the difference between his team's great run at the end of last season and today's problem form is the return to Everton of Iain Turner, whom he describes as simply the best keeper seen up there for years. The boy has been very unlucky so far at Everton but maybe he could be one for the future if his luck turns.

I like this team! If we can avoid Davie's old failing of defending too deep, we are ready to rumble...

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